Zambezi River Sunset Cruise
Imagine that you’re sitting on a comfortable chair, glass of wine in hand, overlooking the river. You’re floating along effortlessly whilst you seek out crocodiles, hippos, and other wild animals in their natural habitats.
There’s a nice breeze beating the humidity back and the sun is beginning to arc its way towards the horizon, casting the sky into shades of honeyed apricot, then indigo, and cerulean. You’re on board a boat on the Zambezi river, and you feel like the luckiest person in the world.
River cruises on the Zambezi are popular. So popular, in fact, that every day there are around fifty boats making the same trip along the river towards the impressive Victoria Falls at sunset. There are many companies that offer this experience, and all at varying price points. Most of them include pick up and drop off transfers as well as light snacks on board and unlimited drinks, including alcohol. The only thing they don’t include is the river fees of around $10 USD per person, which you’ll pay once on board wherever you depart from.
From our research into these companies and finding out they all offer pretty much the same experience, the main difference is the aesthetic look of the boats and the amount of people on board – as we’re sure you’ll agree, a crowded boat with 100 people makes for a less relaxed experience than say an intimate group of 20. We found that the trips departing from the Zimbabwean side of the river were cheaper than those departing from Zambia, by up to 50%, even when they included the exact same things.
So naturally, we decided to book our trip to go from the Zimbabwean side. We already had a multi-entry visa so we didn’t need to worry about crossing over from where we were staying in Zambia. It was also an opportunity for us to spend the day in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, which we really enjoyed. We were quoted £75 per person for a river cruise departing from Zambia, and our trip from Zimbabwe cost us £80 for both of us – no brainer right?
Our boat was perhaps less luxurious than those on offer on the Zambian side, but once you’re on the water, it’s all the same. We were thrilled that we saw hippos almost immediately – hundreds of them. We got fairly close to them at points of the cruise too.
We saw two crocodiles; one baby that was out of the water on a river bank, and another swimming right in front of our boat – diving down deep to escape us. It was incredible to be so close to these animals in their natural habitat. We also saw hundreds of beautiful birds; far too many to identify and name.
A baby crocodile on the river bank
The snacks were minimal but we hadn’t been expecting much; just a small plate of snacks, most of which contained gluten and Tom couldn’t eat – a heads up for any gluten free travellers out there! But they were tasty and added to the experience too.
Drinks were kept flowing at all times, with staff coming round regularly to take orders, clear up empties and help you with anything. There were two toilets on board; one for men and one for women. On our boat there were around 40 of us, which I’d say is an ideal number; enough to create a fun atmosphere but not so many that you can’t move freely. We’d recommend this cruise to everyone, and you can book the exact cruise we did here. Note that the pictures on Get Your Guide are not pictures of the actual boat you’ll be on!
After a day of heavy rain we were rewarded with clearing skies and a beautiful sunset. It felt as though we were in a fairy-tale for most of the three hour cruise, as it just felt so surreal. We were gliding through the water, propelled by the boats engine, but it was so quiet that it felt as though we were being led by the river itself.
The beauty of the Zambezi is overwhelming, and out on the water you feel yourself blending and merging, losing yourself in it, as it creeps its’ way permanently into your soul.